Monday, March 04, 2013

Hot and cold, it can never make up it's mind.  We had some summer days hit this past week and now back to winter.  One thing you use to be able to count on in Southern California is consistent weather but now?  I have no idea what is going on.  I like cold, don't get me wrong but I also like some consistency in my weather where I live.  Had about two or three days in the 80's with the nights in the mid 70's.  And end of the weekend it dipped back into the 60's/50's day/night respectively.  Still waiting for some rainy days though because as always, we need it!

 Weekly Update:
I was helping out our publicity on Tuesday for the press junket at the Four Seasons.  When I was there I realized I have never been there for a junket before.  For some meetings but it was kind of nice to just hang out and be there for a different purpose.  I am sure it costs a ton to stay there overnight but I also have to imagine it being worth it if you are on some kind of special even or honeymoon type of situation.  While there though I did get some snaps with some folks:

 *Ed Harris - classic guy and very cool.
*Johnathon Schaech - pretty cool guy.
*Todd Robinson - director of the film and a nice guy.
*Julian Adams - one of the producers and actors in the film and a VERY cool guy.

 Then on Wednesday we had the premiere for the film Phantom at the new TCL Chinese Theater (formally Grauman's, formally Mann's and probably not in that order).  While there I did run into some folks:

 *Jason Gray-Stanford - Know him best from the show "Monk" and a very cool guy.
*Walter Jones - he was the black Power Ranger and a cool guy.
*Dominic Monaghan - best known as Merry from the original three Lord of the Rings films and a great guy.

 This is funny, on Friday night I was at dinner and we ran into a familiar face:

 *Ron Canada - been in so many things and a really great guy.

 At the movies:
No surprises at the box office this weekend in terms of grosses but the big budget action fairy-tale film Jack the Giant Slayer topples #1 with a nice 28 mil.  This would sound like a great number if not for the 200+ mil price tag to make this film without advertising dollars which I am sure lead up into the high 20's.  Holding ground at #2 is "Identity Thief" with 9.7 mil as it passes the 100 mil cume mark.  The college comedy 21 and Over gets a below expectations 9 mil for its debut at #3.  New at #4 is The Last Exorcism Part II with 8.1 mil.  Rounding off the top 5 is "Snitch" for it's 2nd week earning a decent 7.8 mil.

 New movies that did not make the top 5:
Just one this week and really no big surprise considering what they did and didn't do in terms of P&A.  Coming in at #24 is the submarine thriller Phantom with only $460,000 to its name.  Interesting enough, this isn't the worst box office opening in history but it does come very close and a strong #2.
Other News:
Travel + Leisure came out with a list of the Best Chinese Restaurants in the US but they are in no particular order as far as I can tell.  There are not more than 41,000 Chinese restaurants in the U.S.  According to the article that is nearly three times the number of McDonald's!  1) Lao Sze Chuan - Chicago, IL: one of the first to earn three forks from the Chicago Tribune and known for its extraordinary spiciness.  2) Gourmet Dumping House - Boston, MA: called more Taiwanese which I did not know there was a difference.  3) Peter Chang Cafe - Richmond, VA: started simply as a no-frills place in a strip mall and now has 8 locations with a cult following.  4) Ping Pang Pong - Las Vegas, NV: Located in the Gold Coast Hotel & Casino which is off strip and offers dim sum. 5) Xi'an Famous Foods - New York, NY: No frills noodle house in multiple locations in NY.  6) Shandong - Portland, OR: made-in-house noodles and a nice sleek and modern look. 7) The Source - Washington, DC: This is actually a Wolfgang Puck creation.  8) A Single Pebble - Burlington, VT: Another Taiwan style food from a native Taiwanese, Chiuho Duval.  9) Koi Palace - Daly City, CA (pictured): Shanghai style crab dumplings and lobsters.  10) Mandarin - Salt Lake City, UT: ran by a Greek-American  who work alongside Chinese cooks.

 At
Facts & Tips:
The largest dog litter was 23 puppies.

  "You say potato, I say vodka." - Megan Mullally as Karen Walker in the TV series "Will & Grace."

posted by McDuck @ 01:59

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